Companies with staffs ranging from 22 to over 800 are making a place for kids so employees can be more productive.

A working mother I know recently told me that toggling between parenting a toddler and the demands of managing a department and a staff of three is a tightrope walk. Some days, everything worked smoothly, boosting her confidence in her career path and her childrearing choices. Other days, when her child got sick or daycare was closed due to weather, the disruption and...